Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries

by Rev. Jen Rude, ELM program director

This season of Advent has particular meaning for some Proclaim members. Ideas like hope, waiting, and expectation are turning into the reality of a new call.

Proclaim member Tim Feiertag was approved for ordination 7 years ago.  And even though it’s Advent I won’t make you wait until the end of this blog to find out that Tim Feiertag was ordained this past Sunday having received a call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Everett, Washington!  

Read on to find out more about Tim’s story, about newly ordained Rev. Cara Knutson, and what ELM is doing to move leaders from a place of “waiting” for a call to “looking” for a call.

During these challenging years of waiting for call Tim found other ways to offer his gifts for ministry.  Members of ELM’s Proclaim community affirmed Tim’s pastoral gifts and asked him to serve as one of the community’s volunteer chaplains for the past 2 years.  He has prayed with our community, offered pastoral care, joined in celebration, and accompanied in lament.  Tim says, “Serving as a chaplain to the Proclaim community is one way I have been affirmed in my vocation in this wilderness period.”   

Although things have changed within seminary and candidacy for LGBTQ seminarians, ELM noticed that LGBTQ candidates continue to struggle to receive a first call and often wait significantly longer than their straight classmates.  We realized that this growing pool of LGBTQ candidates ready to serve needed more intentional support.  Rev. Javen Swanson, who also knew this waiting time intimately says, “I know from experience that once candidates have been assigned, they fall off their seminary’s radar, they fall off their candidacy committee’s radar, and they often don’t receive much support from the synod to which they’ve been assigned. The time spent awaiting first call is difficult for every candidate, but it’s especially difficult for LGBTQ candidates who often face additional challenges as they seek a call.”

Javen helped create and is now the convener of ELM’s Awaiting Call Support Team.  This team provides 1-on-1 accompaniment and coaching for LGBTQ candidates who are awaiting first call – from practical things like mock interviews and paperwork, to spiritual support and encouragement.  

Marissa Sotos, a Proclaim member and first call candidate says, “Being connected to a mentor has helped me re-frame waiting for call. Before connecting with the accompaniment program, waiting felt very isolated and passive. Working with Erik has helped me see it as an active and connected part of the ordination process. I’ve realized in the last few months that when people ask what I’m doing, instead of saying that I’m waiting for a call I say I’m looking for a call. Looking feels a lot more hopeful than waiting.”

After 7 years of looking and waiting, on the occasion of his ordination Tim says, “How appropriate that I am being ordained during the season of Advent.  A season of waiting.  A season of already and not yet.  A season of preparing a way and longing for the journey’s end.  I am so grateful to Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries for preparing the way for a gay man to become an out Lutheran minister, for supporting ministry by out LGBTQ folk to show the world that these ministries can thrive, for continuing to speak out against the ways the church continues to oppress/stonewall/deny/discount LGBTQ people, for faithfully waiting with me when no call was on my horizon.”  

On December 6th, another Proclaim member was ordained after her own time of Advent waiting and looking.  Cara Knutson was called to serve as chaplain to Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake, Iowa.  ELM supporter (and her mother-in-law) Mary Knutson participated in the service by serving as a reader and helping to place the stole around Cara’s shoulders. Mary reminds us all in this season of waiting: “It’s sometimes difficult to understand what God has planned for us but when it becomes clear we can all rejoice.”

Through your support, ELM is able to provide accompaniment for LGBTQ leaders who are called to serve our church – both in the looking and waiting, and in the rejoicing.  These extraordinary and faithful ministers are signs of Advent hope in our midst.

Thank you to all of our wonderful supporters!

If you have yet to make a year-end gift to ELM, we invite you to do so today! An ELM supporter  is offering to match any first time, increased, or renewed gift until Dec. 31, 2015!

If have never given to ELM, or if you give more this year, or if you haven’t given since before 2014, ELM will receive double what you give. We’ve had a big year of growth and we need your support to finish strong. Give today – THANK YOU! 

by Rev. Jen Rude.  This Advent season Jen is excited to be waiting and looking for your gift in the ELM mail box and sees each envelope as a sign of Advent hope and joy in our world.  Thank you! 

This photo is of the people of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square, gathered outside the sanctuary on their last day of worship there. (Read more about the story behind this photo here). There is something great about them. 

St. Luke’s recently made the difficult and courageous decision to sell this building and invest in their future ministry and presence in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Eleven years ago, in late fall of 2004, the ELCA told the pastor in the middle of the photo (Pastor Erik Christensen) that he couldn’t be ordained in the ELCA because he was gay. About that same time, the ELCA denied the congregation’s application to be a redevelopment site because they lacked the sufficient resources (human and financial). In the spring of 2005, many congregations received a postcard inviting them to consider candidates from the Extraordinary Roster. One of those folks, Erik Christensen had entered the extraordinary candidacy process after he was denied approval by the ELCA because he was gay. St. Luke’s took the extraordinary steps to call and ordain Erik Christensen outside of the ordinary process of the ELCA. Then Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (through our former Ministry Grants program) invested financially for 5 years in this congregation while they started to rebuild.

And clearly – rebuild they did! 

From the beginning congregations and lay leaders have stepped up to affirm and support the calls of LGBTQ people. Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries – thanks to the generous investment of our supporters – has provided consistent outreach to candidates and congregations to find ways to do ministry and proclaim the Gospel.

So, what is the “one” great thing about St. Luke’s? Well, of course the truth is that there are many of them. One that is present for me as I write this is exactly what you see in the photo: community.

The community of St. Luke’s trusted in God and called Erik. Erik was surrounded by the community of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. And you make up the community that is Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

Which means YOU are another great thing about St. Luke’s! And you are one great thing about the other congregations looking for leaders – and the leaders looking for ways to live our their call to ministry.

You make this support a reality.

Well, what are the 10,000 other things then? If you have read this far, I know that you truly care about these leaders and this ministry. So first, thank you. Second – we need you. We are close to the end of the year and we are working very hard to make sure this ministry is fully funded as we wrap up 2015 and move into 2016.

I want to share a sneak peek with you about some very important news you’ll hear more about soon – we have received a one-time $10,000 matching gift for new, increased, and renewed gifts. If you are thinking about making your first gift to ELM – or increasing from last year – or if you haven’t given in at least a year and want to give again – NOW IS THE TIME! Between now and Dec 31 (only!), every dollar you give will be matched by an extraordinary supporter. This friend will give up to $10,000 – but only if you give. The community of Proclaim has grown by 25% in the last year – ELM needs these resources to keep up with that growth. Each dollar will help provide the kind of support to the future LGBTQ leaders of our church that we have given to present leaders like Pastor Erik.

You are the reason we are able to support LGBTQ people in ministry. Thank you for your wonderful year-end contribution.

Amalia Vagts doesn’t always burn the midnight oil to finish her blog posts. But when she does, she’s happy to do it in New York City, at the end of a few busy days of GREAT visits with wonderful ELM friends. And occasionally she finds time for other things on her trips too, like tonight’s marvelous reunion dinner in Brooklyn with her German host family from a semester abroad in 1994.

Guest blog by Margaret Moreland, ELM board member and Convener of ELM’s Ministry Engagement program

The truth is out, in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) it is the lay members of each congregation who have the privilege and responsibility of deciding who to call to be their pastor, diaconal minister, or AIM!

Also, since a call is required before ordination, lay people have a say in who is ordained.  It’s a very cool thing and doesn’t happen in many other denominations.  Of course the synod bishops and staff provide advice and names for consideration, so they have an important role, but we lay people make the final decision.

Inspiring and supporting congregations in the process and deliberations of choosing a pastor is the work of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries’ (ELM) Ministry Engagement Program.  Two other ELM programs work directly with LGBTQ rostered leaders, seminarians, and candidates for ordination and commissioning.  Ministry Engagement’s work is to insure that our congregations and ministries are prepared  to welcome these leaders and their gifts into consideration during the discernment of whom to call.

How do we make this happen?

• Enrich and Transform – This is a wonderful guide for anyone who wants to learn more about including LGBTQ candidates in a call process. While it was written especially for call committees, it can be used in congregations before a call committee is formed or even in congregations that are not yet in a leadership transition.

• Synod Assemblies – In 2015 Ministry Engagement staffed ELM tables at four Synod Assemblies. This was a great way to meet lay people and tell them more about ELM and about Enrich and Transform. In 2016 we plan to have tables at 10 or more Synod Assemblies.  We’ll have as many as we have volunteers to help this happen in their home Synods

• Local Synod Contacts – Ministry Engagement also has Local Synod Contacts in eight Synods to connect with Synod staff and support them in working with congregations in leadership transition. Many of these volunteers are Proclaim members, others are long-time supporters of ELM. They have made sure that the Synod staff know about Enrich and Transform, and some have done trainings with staff and with interim pastors or met with congregation call committees.

One comment we’ve heard more often than we would like is “But my congregation is just not ready for an LGBTQ pastor.”  But that can’t be the end of the conversation. Our response is “What are you doing to get ready?”

How about your congregation?  Do you already have a LGBTQ pastor or minister?  Are you ready for the next call process? (It will come!)

What can you do now to get ready?  One good step is to take a look at the Enrich and Transform guide and start some conversations in your congregation.  Another would be to host an ELM display table at your synod assembly (contact me at morel@alumni.rice.edu if you’re interested).

Your donations help us keep these projects going.  Your work in your own congregation and Synod can do even more!

*Printer-friendly version of Enrich and Transform.

 

Margaret Moreland is ready for anything in her cold water survival suit, but it does make talking difficult.  And she really likes talking about how wonderful it is to be a member of a congregation with a Proclaim pastor.

 

 

by Amalia Vagts
ELM Executive Director

With Transgender Day of Remembrance just behind us and as  Thanksgiving Day approaches, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries gives thanks for the many ways that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is widening its welcome to people who are transgender.

When the ELCA changed its ministry rostering policies in 2009 to allow partnered gay and lesbian persons to serve as rostered leaders, some wondered if this welcome would include those identifying as transgender. Actions taken by the ELCA in the past year have demonstrated that it is a church seeking to welcome the gifts of transgender people and ministry leaders.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is committed to providing more support and advocacy for transgender people who are following calls to ministry. In addition to work through our Proclaim, Accompaniment, and Ministry Engagement programs, ELM engages in specific efforts, such our advocacy with Portico (detailed below). Additionally, one of Proclaim’s affinity groups is Sparkle* – a group of  trans* identified Proclaim members, which provides confidential support and enables individuals in vulnerable situations or who are publicly low or non disclosing to have their issues raised without compromising their privacy. The “*” in the group’s name helps to remind people of the diversity of the trans* community and is an intentional invitation for those who are a part of the diverse transgender umbrella or questioning to join the group.

Recent good news in the ELCA and beyond…

This past summer, Proclaim member Asher O’Callaghan was the first openly transgender person to be ordained through the regular process of the ELCA. (Other openly transgender pastors were ordained prior to 2009 and outside the regular process of the ELCA). On the day of his ordination, Rev. O’Callaghan stated, “The Church is changing: There’s no need to choose between living life as your fullest self and belonging to a community of faith. For transgender people, this means that there are congregations who will affirm, respect, and celebrate our faith and our gender identities.”

Also this summer, a Religion News Service interview with Lutheran seminarian Nicole Garcia, who is transgender and Latina, (and a Proclaim member) went viral after being posted on Huffington Post.

The Rev. Megan Rohrer, Proclaim member, who identifies as transgender, was featured in an article in the September 2015 Lutheran magazine. In response to all the news recently, Rev. Rohrer stated, “Each step that the ELCA takes to support the health and ministries of transgender pastors, is the direct result of many prophets, saints, volunteers and donors who have persistently worked towards the day when people of all sexual orientations and gender identities would be welcomed on both sides of the communion table.”

This month, Portico Benefits Services, a ministry of the ELCA, announced changes removing exclusions to transgender healthcare and adding benefits based on recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. These changes will provide greater health care access to Portico plan members who are transgender, allowing them to make their own informed choices regarding their health in consultation with their health care providers. We’re thankful to Portico for their responsiveness and openness to our input. In addition to ELM’s advocacy, ELCA congregations contacted Portico about concern for the lack of trans-inclusive health coverage.

One of those congregations, Ebenezer Lutheran Church, shared the following remarks, “We are proud and grateful the ELCA will now offer transgender-inclusive health benefits through Portico. This step empowers the Church’s commitment to fully support the leaders God is raising up, and its mission to be a place where all are welcome.”

At their November 2015 meeting, the ELCA Church Council passed a social message on gender-based violence, which includes messages related to transgender people and raises awareness about transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

For these and many other wonderful steps towards a church that is a place of welcome and belonging for all, we give thanks. And for you, the supporters of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, we also give thanks – through you, so much of this is made possible.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries believes that LGBTQ people have extraordinary gifts for ministry. Through their public witness LGBTQ rostered leaders proclaim the Gospel now. We live out this belief through three programs: Accompaniment, Ministry Engagement, and Proclaim, a community of LGBTQ+ rostered leaders, candidates, and seminarians.  Learn more at www.elm.org.

by Rev. Jen Rude, ELM program director

A movement of out seminarians began in the late 1980’s when four seminarians came out to their candidacy committees. These and other acts broke open the movement for full inclusion in the Lutheran church.

And twenty five years later LGBTQ seminarians are still at the forefront.  Today we celebrate the impact Proclaim seminarians are making in our churches and seminaries.

In 2009, when the policy barring LGBTQ candidates and rostered leaders in same sex relationships ended, ELM was working with 2 or 3 LGBTQ seminarians each year.

Now, just six years later, there are 58 publicly identified LGBTQ seminarians connected with Proclaim. Seminarians make up more than 25% of the Proclaim community. The future looks very bright!

More and more LGBTQ people who are called to ministry are now able to follow this call into our seminaries, our congregations, and into the whole church.  Some are born and raised Lutheran and others are drawn into the Lutheran church through our theology, engagement in the world, and faithful witness.

Who are today’s LGBTQ seminarians?

They are scholars.  Seven current Proclaim seminarians are recipients of a merit-based full tuition ELCA Fund for Leaders Scholarship and several others were awarded partial Fund for Leaders scholarships.

They are community leaders.  Both on and off campus these leaders are involved in the work of being church in the world.  Proclaim seminarians are taking the lead on four separate campuses to work with our movement partner ReconcilingWorks toward becoming a Reconciling in Christ seminary. They are leading Gay-Straight Alliances and are involved in LGBTQ groups in the community leading conversations about faith. But don’t expect to find them exclusively in LGBTQ ministries.  Proclaim seminarians are active in Public Church Fellows, Interfaith Supper Club, and the Lutheran Office of Public Policy Council. They care about and are active in many aspects of the wider church.

They are servants.  Proclaim seminarians are serving on synod council.  Several members are serving as student body President and members of the student association at their seminary. As part of their seminary worship life they are serving as school sacristan and leading a liturgical dance group.

And that’s just a sampling.

While these seminarians are amazing leaders in so many ways, being LGBTQ is part of what makes them extraordinary – wonderfully “out of the ordinary.”  This experience of being an LGBTQ person of faith has shaped their call and their gifts for ministry.  They are faithful –  following a call to ministry in a church that still has a lot of room to grow in LGBTQ affirmation, and being unsure of where this call may lead them.  They are justice-seekers –  having a particular eye for those on the margins and others who may have felt excluded.  They are evangelical – sharing about the transformative power of God in their own lives as a way to share with others the Good News. And they are fabulous – bringing their unique and beautiful selves in service to God and God’s people.

Proclaim seminarians continue to lead the way in proclaiming the gospel with justice and grace. The road is not always easy, but these leaders have listened to their call, developed and shared their gifts, and are seizing the opportunity to be good stewards of their education, their ministries and the wider community.  

Your gift to ELM helps support these extraordinary seminarians so that one day soon they will be ready to be called to serve your congregation. Lucky you!

 

By Rev. Jen Rude, who is inspired and humbled both by the witness of those early LGBTQ seminarians of the 1980s and the 58+ seminarians who continue the movement across our church today.

Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.  – Genesis 18:4

by Amalia Vagts,
Executive Director

It seems like everyone is busy these days. I’m guilty of it myself. When someone asks how I am, I usually have to stop myself from replying, “Busy.”

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries IS busy. You’ve heard me say it often this year – we are fruitful and multiplying! And – in the midst of that, we are also embracing a culture of balance over the allure of “busyness.” After about six months of conversation and exploration and then a two-month trial, ELM is moving forward with a four-day, 36-hour work week for our full-time staff (myself and Program Director, Rev. Jen Rude).

The concept was introduced to us at Rockwood Leadership Institute, which Jen and I attended earlier this year. We’ve since talked with others who have successfully moved to similar schedules. The purpose is to create a healthy, sustainable, and well-managed work environment that sustains leaders over a lifetime of activism. Those who have done this successfully have found that their employees are happier, healthier, more efficient, better at time management, more alive in their work and more renewed following the weekend.

Jen and I are using techniques from Rockwood (and other places) to get the most out of our workweek. Here are some key points from Rockwood we are using: keep a clear task list, include personal to-dos, plan for each new day and week, keep portions of the work week meeting-free, know the POP (purpose, outcome, process) of each project & meeting, answer email in batches, turn off email/social media alerts, be clear with everyone about our schedule, and create efficient systems for team planning, accountability, and communication. (You can get more details in this article “You can take care of yourself and still change the world“).

Jen and I both travel extensively for ELM, typically over weekends, with very full days. As a balance, when we are in the office, Jen and I will work Monday-Thursday, generally 9 – 6 (and some evenings for meetings). Fridays are for the following kinds of activities: personal tasks such as medical appointments, household chores, volunteering, congregational work, time with friends, workout classes, and general renewal. For the most part, we will be away from email and our phones Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Jen and I tried this schedule during August and September and we both felt renewed, supported, more effective, and able to give our most and best selves to the work of ELM. At the September in-person meeting, the ELM Board of Directors unanimously endorsed this plan.

We know that many people do not have the choice of this kind of schedule for their employment. We know that pastors and deacons are among the most overworked people in our culture. It is my hope that ELM can model a healthy personal ecology for others and find ways to sustain ourselves and our colleagues for the long haul in their work.

I welcome your questions and feedback.

 

 

Guest blog by Proclaim member, Rev. Mark Erson, pastor of St John’s Lutheran in New York City.

“We are a small congregation with a big mission.”  That is my stock line for introducing people to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – a 160 year old congregation in the West Village of Manhattan (literally across the street from the Stonewall Inn) that was coming out of a challenging decade when I accepted a call to serve as its pastor in 2011.  Accepting this call meant redeveloping a congregation that was close to death and had had little connection with the neighborhood of the West Village.  Neighbors that I spoke with actually were surprised to hear that there was still an active congregation in the building.

Eager to connect with the neighborhood in new ways, and especially eager to proclaim the good news of God’s love to the many in our community who think they are not welcome in God’s church, I jumped at chances to collaborate with folks who came looking for space and support.  The needs of the neighborhood were so great and immediate, I did not want to wait for us to grow to a size that could take on issues like LGBTQ homeless young adults or too many people thinking that they were outside the reach of God’s mercy, love, and grace.

Like an answer to a prayer I wasn’t wise enough to utter, Miss Simone (a transgender performer and promoter) came to me and asked if she could host a fashion show in the sanctuary.  I was game.  The night was filled with women of transgender experience, showing their style and fabulousness, along with a couple doing lip-sync performances.  As one of the young women was leaving, she thanked me deeply for allowing this to happen in the church.

I reflected on that short exchange for quite a while.  These folks had grown up in faith communities that had either shown them the door or caused them to run out the door before they were found out.  They had grown up in communities where music was important and style was honored.  On that night, they could bring all those valued parts of their culture and themselves and be in the sacred space of a church as their authentic self.

We had a couple more similar events.  We also became known as the church for memorials of noted drag performers and transgender people.  In most cases, the family did not want to acknowledge the individual’s true self and/or did not want friends to be present for the “official” funeral.  So friends and colleagues would come to St. John’s and ask to provide a memorial event that truly celebrated the life of this child of God.  These have been some very moving events.

After one of these events of style and song, I asked the performers if someone would work with me to create a similar event in which presenters would perform gospel music.  I got a taker, and we were off.

But what was this thing that we were creating?  Where did it fit into the church culture? In LGBTQ culture?  We could not call it a drag event, because most of the performers were transgender.  So, we started calling it Gospel Divas.  But then some guys wanted to join in, who would perform lip-syncing to the tracks of male singers.  So we started calling it Gospel Night.  Sometimes we even add in a live singer and instrumentalists.

It continues to evolve.  When we first started, one of the performers would MC.  But now, I am doing the hosting.  I use the time in between songs to bring the good news, to highlight lyrics of songs just performed for the sake of teaching of God’s amazing love.  I also see that we are starting to borrow more and more from the revival culture of American Christianity.

True confession:  I am only starting to speak (and write) about this ministry.  I have been shy to even talk to colleagues about it for fear that they will be shocked and judge me crazy.   But I think of Boniface transforming pagan tree symbols into Christian symbols that pointed to the God that the missionary was bringing.  I think of the Wycliffe Bible Translators in the South Pacific who engaged a culture that had no concept of sheep and so they had to translate the image of Lamb of God into Pig of God, because pigs were cherished and valued most.  But mostly I think of that woman of Bethany who anointed Jesus’ feet much to the dismay and shock of those watching.  But Jesus welcomes the shocking behavior of sincere and heart-felt devotion.  And, transformed by the one who makes all things new, we have been anointing one another in Jesus’ name ever since.

So it continues to evolve.  What to call it continues to be the question of the hour.  The newest name:  Magnify:  An Evening of Music and Mercy.  Whatever we call it, whatever it evolves into, it is exciting to see the number of people drawn to this expression of faith and praise, to witness and hear of people being moved by this unique “church” experience.  As we continue to sing a new song, may God’s name be praised and may the good news of God’s mercy and grace be heard.

*Editor’s note:  A note about “drag” and “transgender.” Within the LGBTQ community there is a wide diversity of expressions of self and identity. We don’t always agree or have the same experience, but it is a value of ELM to create spaces of belonging and naming for diverse identities and expressions. In this article, Mark references both communities – drag and transgender.

By Rev. Mark Erson. Mark – a New York City native, Lutheran PK, and avid traveler – is ridiculously happily married to his high school sweetheart, Scott Jordan.  They are blessed with a feisty pit bull-rottweiler mix named Brooklyn.  After adventures in the world of theatre and teaching, Mark finally was pinned by the Holy Spirit and led to say “yes” to a lifelong-avoided call to ordained ministry.  He was ordained in April of 2009 and currently serves St. John’s, Manhattan.

 

Guest blog by Proclaim Program Convener and ELM Board Member, Rev. Emily E. Ewing

I recently attended my first in-person ELM Board Meeting since becoming the Proclaim Program Convener.  It was wonderful to spend time with the extraordinary folks on our board, including people who have been a part of the movement since the beginning and shared incredible stories from the early days and newer folks and fellow Proclaim-ers who are also on the board.  I was blown away by the commitment and care of the folks who make up the Board as well as the amazing work they, and now we, are doing to support LGBTQ people in ministry!  We did a lot of great work together over the course of 3 days.

One of my favorite conversations was about the “why?” of ELM.  We did an exercise to get down to a basic “why” statement as a way of describing ELM’s purpose. Before the 2009 policy change, this was generally understood as “ELM believes LGBTQ people should be able to be pastors and is making that possible.” Since 2009, it’s been a little harder to describe. We began the exercise by sharing our own personal “whys” we have for doing this work.  Mine ranged from doing this because LGBTQ leaders have huge gifts for the church and still face unnecessary obstacles when encountering the institution of the ELCA to the reality that my being as a queer pastor is Good News for some and makes it ok for others to also claim their faith.  

After sharing our personal “whys”, we started picking out commonalities, words and phrases that resonated deeply, then combined them into a simple statement that we all felt connected to. That statement is “ELM believes that LGBTQ people have extraordinary gifts for ministry – through their public witness they proclaim the Gospel now.” The statement is not set in stone – for example we used “Gospel” knowing that depending on the context, it could make more sense to say “God’s love for all” or “God’s mercy,” etc., but the statement is helpful for me in talking about ELM and the work we’re doing together.  We also talked about our various programs and why they exist and why we are part of them, which was fun to think through.  Needless to say, there was some overlap between ELM’s organization-wide “why” and my “why” as Proclaim convener as well as the “why” of the Proclaim program.

We also talked about the new proposal for our Proclaim Gatherings, which adds more focus and resources toward regional/local gatherings while still continuing to offer an annual national gathering.  The Board affirmed the proposal and I’m excited for the opportunities we’ll have to not only gather together April 10-13, 2016 in San Juan Bautista, California, but also gather regionally for an evening or even an overnight for those of us that are more spread out.  We also will be starting to look at smaller, more specifically focused gatherings beginning in 2017!  This is so exciting!

I also got to hear about the Ministry Engagement program’s presence at Synod Assemblies, focusing on congregations to continue to expand the congregations that would potentially call Proclaim rostered leaders.  They are working to expand ELM’s presence at future Synod Assemblies, so if someone in your congregation might be interested in hosting an ELM table at your assembly next year, keep that in mind as Margaret Moreland, the Ministry Engagement Convener would probably love to talk to them! (morel@alumni.rice.edu)

Accompaniment continues to do amazing work from connecting those awaiting first call with coaches to journey with them through the process to the amazing work of our Proclaim Seminarian Team and the 60 seminarians in Proclaim!!

We began talking about our 2016 budget and staffing for the organization, especially as we are growing so much (with 210+ Proclaim members)!!  As part of our conversation around staffing we decided to make Amalia and Jen’s shift to a 36-hour, 4-day (Monday-Thursday) workweek permanent, recognizing the benefit it gives them in both their work and their personal life, which also means it benefits us.  

This was a great time and so affirming in the work that we are all doing together to support and encourage each other and all LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders, seminarians, and those awaiting calls.

As Proclaim continues to grow, I am excited for the ways that we are engaging each other as a community virtually and locally.  It is always a gift for me when I get to see fellow Proclaimers and ELM supporters, both through my computer screen and in person.  This is only possible because of the commitment of the work of ELM and the fierce support and affirmation of folks throughout ELM’s larger community.  So thank you, for your support: your prayers and your donations, which make it possible for us to continue to be fruitful and multiplying.

Rev. Emily E. Ewing graduated in 2014 with an M Div from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  Emily is thoroughly enjoying the role of Proclaim Program Convener.  Emily is currently living in West Jordan, Utah, enjoys live Facebooking conferences and is surprisingly fond of running half marathons.

by Amalia Vagts
Executive Director

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is all over the place – alleluia!

Our Program Director, Rev. Jen Rude, is in the Bay Area this week. She spent some time yesterday doing a site visit in preparation for the 2016 Proclaim Gathering (a 4-day gathering for LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders, candidates, and seminarians). Then she headed back north to spend time with staff at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Proclaim members, and ELM friends.  Many folks, including Proclaim member Leslie Walton, were happy to see (or meet) Jen in person!

And I’m wrapping up a quick visit to Chicago, where we are launching our Faithful & Fabulous Chicago effort – a friend-to-friend outreach campaign to connect more people to the ministry of ELM. I am so thankful for a very committed and passionate team  of volunteers who have been learning about faith and giving this fall and will be inviting others to join them in supporting our ministry.

Meanwhile through phone and web chat – the Proclaim chaplains met for their monthly meeting and the ELM Diversity Committee gathered to focus their work for the coming months. Also meeting this week – the Proclaim Team and the ELM Board Development Committee. And our new ELM Development & Communications Intern started on Monday! All told, about 30 volunteers will be busy at some point this week working to support LGBTQ people in ministry.

And YOU are supporting this work by staying informed – thank you – hope you are feeling extraordinary today! Thank you for all you do for LGBTQ people in ministry.